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Need to Know – Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III won't be landing till October, but that hasn't stopped us from rounding up all you need to know about Ubisoft's upcoming blockbuster.

27 March 2012/14:04BST

Assassin's Creed III – overview

Assassin's Creed III sees players step into the moccasins of Ratohnhaké:ton (or Connor, if you prefer), a Native American assassin who gets caught up in the warring shenanigans between the British and Americans during the American Revolution.

The game spans over a long 30 year period from 1753-1783 and, given Ubisoft's previous offerings, should offer plenty of rich and mostly-accurate history, with the likes of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin making an appearance.

Assassin's Creed III – setting

So far we know that Boston and New York will feature in the game, and concerns about wide streets and less-crowded buildings can be put to rest as there are plenty of trees and rooftops for free-running action. You can also now crash through open windows, startling occupants as you race out through the other side of buildings during frantic pursuits.

The wild frontier zone will offer an environment never before seen in an Assassin's Creed game. Deep snow will slow you down and cause you to stumble, while trees and rocks offer plenty of opportunities to dish out death from above. You can also jump over or slide under obstacles for a smoother free-running experience

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Assassin's Creed III – combat

There's no point in playing as a Native American assassin without wielding a tomahawk or bow and arrow, and Connor puts both sets of weapons to deadly effect at close and long range respectively.

Enemy soldiers' muskets offer little threat due to their minute-long reload time, so after you've dodged the first few bullets it's time to get up close and personal with the business end of your hidden blade (or other pointy implement) before putting them out of their misery.

Assassin's Creed III – new features

Fans of Red Dead Redemption will be happy to hear that Assassin's Creed III offers the ability to hunt and track animals and collect their pelts, where blade kills offer up better quality fur than kills made with guns.

The upgraded Anvil game engine also means that character animations are much smoother and more believable, and many more characters can appear on the screen at one time, unlocking the possibility of large soldier-ridden battlefields for you to explore and run through.

Assassin's Creed III will also be getting a slew of Wii U-specific controls, including the ability to use the secondary screen to view Connor's Eagle Vision and to switch between weapons mid-combat.

Assassin's Creed III – editions

Assassin's Creed III will arrive in three special edition flavours. First up is the Freedom Edition which will include a figure of Connor, two extra single player missions, an exclusive lithograph and George Washington's notebook.

The Join or Die Edition will nab you Washington's notebook and an assassin medallion while the Special Edition will provide you with an exclusive in-game Flintlock Musket. All versions of the game will hit shelves on October 31 and we expect more details to follow at E3 later this year, so stay tuned.